Monday, December 27, 2010

A Snowy Rest

Looking Through the Cattails

Christmas Break in Michigan (12/19-12/27/10)

I’m not sure what I was thinking when I said I was going to try to run while on vacation in Michigan.  Huh?  There was no running this week, unless you count running after a four-year-old niece who likes to be chased.  Oh, and there were the speed intervals I did up and down the street, using the same four-year-old in a stroller for additional strength training.  I did those intervals more for her pleasure than for my fitness, though the work-out was a nice holiday bonus for me!

This week was more about family and food than it was about fitness and feet.  It was a lazy, indulgent week of holiday treats and downtime.  I slept late, watched cartoons, drank coffee, and occasionally took some pictures.  I did get outside for a few wintry walks with various people I love, and it was good to move the legs and feel the cold air move in and out of my lungs.  One night we had an especially memorable walk.  My two older brothers and I took my niece Lydia on a sled ride up and down her street.  It was dusk when we left, the sky a cold slate grey.  The last of the daylight faded, and as night descended, Christmas lights lit up the neighborhood with their cheery gold and jewel tones.  Lydia loved the lights, and as I pulled her sled, I tried to stop in front of every house so she could get a good look at them.

Today I’m in transit, on my way back to Texas.  It’s a bittersweet feeling to leave such a big part of my life in Michigan to go back to my quiet, often solitary life in College Station.  But I have to admit this: I’ve been here at the Little Rock National Airport for the last two hours, playing on my computer, and the peacefulness of being alone here has been pretty delightful.  I think getting back to my routines will feel the same way, despite the ache of knowing I’ve left something very important in Michigan: my family.

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